Dfest becomes 'huge community-building event'

Saturday, July 26, 2009

In his day job, Clay Bird assists Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor with downtown economic development. This weekend, however, the former city councilor and his wife, Dacia, were selling drinks to thirsty Dfest-goers.

 

Saturday evening, the pair wore their orange "volunteer" shirts as they pushed cups of beer and soda to a growing line of people.

 

"Dfest is important because it's a huge community-building event. Everybody comes out," said Dacia Bird.

 

It adds money to the city and state, too. Dfest organizers estimated the two-day festival and conference would bring in 70,000 ticket-buyers and have a nearly $13 million economic impact.

 

It's Dacia's first time to experience the festival, which featured headliners Gogol Bordello, Cake, Black Crowes, Ozomatli and nearly 30 others and more than 100 emerging acts throughout downtown's historic Blue Dome District.

 

Clay Bird's first visit was four years ago.

 

"Dfest has grown exponentially," he said. "Incredible is the only word I can think of to describe it."

 

The "community building" aspect of the festival is perhaps the strongest now in its eight-year history.

 

Vince DiFiore, trumpeter for Saturday headliner Cake, said he is experiencing an unusually positive mood coming from the emerging acts playing the event, and that the information offered by the conference can help deliver a dose of music-business reality to these new bands.

 

"When you're a young band starting out, there's a lot of optimism," DiFiore said. "It's part delusional, part grounded in reality that if you take the right steps, you've got the right group of guys, you've got good songs, then you've got a foot in the business. For the people who are grounded in reality, it gives them some constructive things they can do to further their careers. It's support, right?"

 

Said Cake lead singer John McCrea: "More people get struck by lightning every year than 'make it' in music. You can catch people's attention if you're good, but to stay in people's focus right now is a tall order. Culturally, we're more overfed than we've ever been. We're just like that guy in 'The Meaning of Life,' the big fat guy, who can't eat another bite. 'Our band is awesome — have a wafer-thin mint.' "

 

But that didn't stop McCrea from feasting on Oklahoma pride while strolling the historic Blue Dome District festival grounds Saturday.

 

McCrea walked into local store Dwelling Spaces looking for a belt but ended up walking out with "I Speak Okie" and "Keep Tulsa Green" T-shirts, plus the contact information for a local graphic designer whose posters were displayed in the store.

 

"I love the boosterism of this place," he said. "You all have this strident pride thing going; there's a lot of real culture here to be proud of."

 

And the rumors are true: The band loves Tulsa.

 

"You have this weird amalgam of Southern and Western here. People really know how to enjoy themselves. As a musician, it's the type of crowd I live for. Northerners can be more encumbered. They don't cut loose like they do here."

 

In contrast to larger festivals, Dfest is smaller and more concentrated, and in many cases, the club shows are often filled with musicians from other bands supporting their fellow acts.

 

Jacob Abello, a 22-year-old singer-songwriter from Norman, showed up at midnight with Sherree Chamberlain as well as members of Colourmusic and The Boom Bang to see Oklahoma City's The Pretty Black Chains at Electric Circus.

 

Abello's Saturday show at Dfest was only his second concert after working on his debut disc and holding a CD release party at Opolis.

 

Abello emphasized the networking and exposure achieved at the festival — the same thing that attracted Chris Kochenborger of Canja Rave, which traveled thousands of miles from their Brazilian home to attend Dfest.

 

"We're really researchers on the Internet, always looking forward to playing festivals in the U.S.," Kochenborger said. "I heard about Dfest, and we subscribed as soon as we got back from South by Southwest, thinking it would be great to play in a festival with less bands where the focus would be bigger for each band, and luckily we got selected as the only Brazilian band, so we're really proud to be here representing Brazil."

 

Local reggae stalwart Sam & the Stylees members were also roaming the streets early Saturday prior to their showcase performance. During the day, they're music "nerds," just like everyone else.

 

"Dfest is the best of both worlds," said frontman Bee Meddler. "You get to see all the local music, tons of local music. You also get to see established acts."

 

Band mate Ryan Griffith agreed. "You see the big names and the people who will be big names. I saw a great band from Austin, and wow, I didn't have to drive down there to see one of the best bands I've ever seen."

 

The act was Oso Closo.

 

"Now, it's South by Southwest before it got over-exploited," Griffith said, comparing Dfest to the annual spring music and film festival in Austin, Texas.

 

"It's the street carnival atmosphere," Meddler said. "It's the downtown vibe. You can walk down the street with a beer and see everything you ever wanted to see. For a music geek, it's heaven."

 

By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR World Scene Writer & GEORGE LANG NewsOK.com